CLARE’S DISCIPLINE HAS come under the spotlight again after Sunday’s Munster hurling quarter-final.
The Banner County suffered red card woe for the third consecutive championship game, with Patrick Donnellan sent off at half-time.
Clare had Podge Collins dismissed in the drawn All-Ireland qualifier against Wexford last summer, with Jack Browne and Brendan Bugler following suit in the replay defeat.
And Bugler missed Sunday’s clash with Limerick through suspension, a carry-over from that red card against Wexford.
But manager Davy Fitzgerald had strongly rejected suggestions that Clare are a dirty team.
Speaking to reporters after the game, he said: “I’ll ask everyone a question here – do ye think we’re a dirty team? And do you think we foul a lot?
“And I feel if you really look inside your souls, you’ll see.”
Fitzgerald was privately aggrieved by the fact that Limerick’s Shane Dowling finished with ten points from frees.
Clare, in contrast, had five pointed frees from Colin Ryan in the first half but were awarded just one free in the entire second half.
“I don’t think we’re dirty. It’s hard but listen, I can’t do nothing.
“That’s the way it is and I’m not going to come out publicly and criticise anybody.
“Ye can make up yer own minds from whatever ye want.”
Fitzgerald also queried the amount of additional time at the end of the game, with Clare claiming that there should have been more than the one minute and 20 seconds extra that referee Colm Lyons played.
There was some confusion on the touchline as the public address announced one additional minute but the fourth official flashed up four minutes.
“I’m certain there was more extra-time than that,” Fitzgerald said.
“But we won’t be cribbing about it. We’ll take our defeat and move on.
“The players thought four and I thought four. That’s why I wasn’t worried.
“I thought we’d definitely get a leveller.
“We all thought it was four and so did the team. But listen they have their explanation for it.”
The Clare county board has indicated to the42 today that they won’t be appealing Donnellan’s red card, with suspension set to rule the captain out of Clare’s first qualifier match.
“But we won’t be cribbing about it” he says, while cribbing relentlessly for the whole interview
Davey Fitz is some ghoul. He was bullied as a child and has bullying tendencies in him as a manager. His demeanour is a disgrace
I don’t even follow hurling but happened to see his “interview” after the match yesterday. No, I wouldn’t even call it an interview – it was a pitch perfect impersonation of a sulking child who’s been told he can’t have ice cream.
From a clareman I don’t think we’re a dirty team but we do foul an awful lot.
Clare players are very clean hurlers but occasionally very frustrated by current tactics that cause crowding, hence they concede a lot of frees: in 2013 they were eventually let express themselves and won the championship. They are capable of it again if let. The whole country know the players talents and their class as individuals. It’s others who need to look at themselves
I’ve a lot of time for the Clare players, seriously good hurlers but Davey Fitz is a total bellend.
No cribbing. .hanging off the Refree. Down the tunnel. .Clare would be a lot more polished with those two men that guided them as u-21s.Davy got go
The Brendan Rodgers of Hurling Managers – just can’t help talking himself into a corner … and then keeps talking even more when he should just shut up.
Davy is sending those young fellas out to war in every game. They are so psyched up they actually forget how good they are. Too much aggression and not enough brains.
Lololololo@Patrick. One bk door all ireland without beating kk or tipp And yet good enough to do what? Get knocked out in munster and you have another short summer coming on the back of league relegation. Get real about 2013 it was a fluke year.
Fitz turns refs against his team. Constantly barking or abusing them doesn’t turn a ref around. Clare are not dirty but lack control. And that isn’t picked up from the grass